"(NH and flat) meeting in Ireland; Punchestown Festival – the Irish equivalent of the Cheltenham Festival; The Tingle Creek at Sandown Park Racecourse; the Scottish Grand National at Ayr Racecourse; the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse; the Welsh National at Chepstow Racecourse; and the Irish National at Fairyhouse Racecourse. National Hunt racing originated in Ireland, particularly in the southern counties. Early races were mainly two-horse contests known as ""pounding races"" that became popular in the early 18th century. These involved long trips across country where horses were required to jump whatever obstacles the landscape threw in their"
"Ely Racecourse Ely Racecourse was a horse racing venue in Cardiff, Wales. The Racecourse opened in 1855, with the first race being held on 30 May. By 1864 racing at Ely was a regular event, the races that year were acclaimed as 'the most brilliant and successful ever held'. In 1895 the first Welsh Grand National was held at the Ely Racecourse. It was watched by over 40,000 people, many of whom did not pay for entry after charging the entry gates and overpowering the stewards. In the early 1900s Attendance figures began to steadily decline and the racecourse never"
"trainers while Tim Vaughan, also from the Vale of Glamorgan, has started out on a training career with some success. Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of two Grand National winners and Imperial Commander, the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, is Welsh, although his training stables are in England. Horse racing in Wales Horse racing in Wales has a long tradition dating back to the 18th century. Wales has held flat racing, National Hunt and harness racing, and presently has three racecourses, at Chepstow, Bangor-on-Dee and Ffos Las. The Welsh National is held annually at Chepstow between Christmas and New Year and is"
"Horse racing in Wales Horse racing in Wales has a long tradition dating back to the 18th century. Wales has held flat racing, National Hunt and harness racing, and presently has three racecourses, at Chepstow, Bangor-on-Dee and Ffos Las. The Welsh National is held annually at Chepstow between Christmas and New Year and is the highlight of the Welsh racing calendar. Organised horse racing in Wales originated with the gentry and aristocracy and among the earliest organised racing were point-to-point meetings. By 1833 there were internationally recognised flat races at many locations around the country, including Cowbridge, Haverfordwest, Conwy, Aberystwyth,"
"fully recovered from a fire that destroyed the grandstand in 1937. The last race to be held there, in 1939, was won by Grasshopper, ridden by Keith Piggott, father of the famous Lester Piggott. ""History of Cardiff Racecourse"" by Brian Lee (Cwm Nedd Press) Ely Racecourse Ely Racecourse was a horse racing venue in Cardiff, Wales. The Racecourse opened in 1855, with the first race being held on 30 May. By 1864 racing at Ely was a regular event, the races that year were acclaimed as 'the most brilliant and successful ever held'. In 1895 the first Welsh Grand National"
"the Welsh Grand National from Chepstow. As New Year's Eve fell on a Saturday that year, this meant it was the first Saturday in recent memory that horse racing was not shown on terrestrial television. Instead, pay channel Racing UK made its coverage available free to air for the day. Major UK events covered by Channel 4 included the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Derby and Oaks from Epsom and the St Leger at Doncaster, Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival. These events have moved between the BBC and ITV over the years. Internationally, it has covered"
"Today only three racecourses survive in Wales, Chepstow, Bangor-Is-Coed and Ffos Las which was opened in 2009. Wales has produced several jockeys of note, including Jack Anthony who won the Grand National on three occasions (1911, 1915 and 1920), Hywel Davies who won it in 1985 and Carl Llewellyn who won the race most recently in 1992 and again in 1998. Another notable Welsh jockey was Dick Francis, who was British jump racing Champion Jockey in the 1953–54 season and was famous for riding Devon Loch when the horse slipped close to the winning post when leading 1956 Grand National."
"Grand National (Irish greyhounds) The Grand National is a greyhound racing competition held annually at Curraheen Park in Cork, Ireland. The race was inaugurated in 1928 at Shelbourne Park and was shared between the two Dublin tracks of Shelbourne and Harold's Cross Stadium before being switched to the old Cork (Western Road) Grayhound Stadium just before World War II. Kilkenny Greyhound Stadium hosted the race in 1960 & 1961 until Thurles Greyhound Stadium took over from 1962-1984. The competition returned to Shelbourne in 1985 for another 15 years but once again the nomadic race switched to Harolds Cross and was"
"off-course betting. 1926 saw the opening of Chepstow Racecourse at St Arvans, and although remaining on the margins of British horseracing until the opening of the Severn Bridge in 1966, it is now the country's premier course. Chepstow holds the Welsh National, which is held annually between Christmas and New Year. Due to the growth of other leisure activities and the cost of keeping and breeding horse, flat and national hunt racing went into long-term decline in Wales from the middle of the 19th century. From the middle of the 20th century most of the country's racecourses had closed. Today"
"1984 Grand National The 1984 Grand National (known as the Seagram Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 138th official renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 31 March 1984. For the first time, the field was limited to a maximum of 40 runners. A sell-out crowd at Aintree saw 23 contenders complete the course, breaking the record for most finishers and one which still stands today. Hallo Dandy won the race, ridden by Welsh jockey Neale Doughty. The pairing had finished fourth in the previous year's National. By"
"Grand National (roller coaster) The Grand National is a wooden roller coaster located at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, Lancashire in the United Kingdom. It was designed and constructed by Charles Paige in 1935 and is now one of only three surviving wooden Möbius Loop roller coasters in the world and the only one in Eurasia. It is themed and named after the Grand National; with elements of the ride signposted to mimic features of the horse race. The trains climb the lift-hill and pass under the 'They're Off' sign and race through 'Becher's Brook', 'Valentine's' and 'Canal Turn' before"
"Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground () is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham AFC. As of August 2016, the stadium has been known as My Racecourse. The stadium is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches, having hosted Wales' first home international match in 1877, and has hosted more Wales international matches than any other ground (91). The record attendance at the ground was set in 1957, when Wrexham hosted a match against Manchester United in front of 34,445 spectators. The Racecourse Ground"
"National was transferred to Chepstow in 1949. From then on, National Hunt racing overtook flat racing as the dominant activity as a string of good class horses and top trainers and jockeys contested the race. The three and three-quarter mile race, more recently known as the Coral Welsh National, owes much to the support of the bookmaking firm for establishing it as one of the major events in the National Hunt calendar. It have sponsored it for over forty years, making it the second longest continuous race sponsorship. The opening of the Severn Bridge and the completion of the M4"
"miles (25 minutes) from Junction 48 of the M4 motorway. Ffos Las racecourse The Ffos Las racecourse (""strictly"": Ffos Las Racecourse & Conference Centre) is a Welsh horse racing, equestrian sports and conferencing venue situated in Ffos Las, Wales. The Ffos Las racecourse was built at the site of an open cast coal mine after mining operations ceased. After the completion of the first phase of construction for a first race meeting in June 2009, the Ffos Las racecourse became the first new National Hunt racecourse to be built in the United Kingdom for 80 years, and Wales's third racecourse."
"trotting meet in Wales is the Llangadog which has been held every Easter Monday since 1884. In 1990, 'Tir Prince' an American-style raceway was opened in Towyn which now holds 13 races a year, many of which are shown on Welsh language television channel S4C on its programme ""Rasus"". Tregaron Trotting Club is host to the biggest festival of harness racing in the UK, an annual three day meeting on the last weekend in August. Wales has produced several jockeys of note, including Jack Anthony who won the Grand National on three occasions (1911, 1915 and 1920), Hywel Davies who"
"2017 Grand National The 2017 Grand National (officially known as the 2017 Randox Health Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 170th official running of the Grand National horse race at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. The showpiece steeplechase over a distance of took place on 8 April 2017, the final day of a three-day meeting. A maximum field of 40 runners competed for a share of a prize fund of £1 million. Randox Health is the new sponsor of the main race and the festival itself for the next five years. It was broadcast live on television by ITV"
"Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap steeplechase over with horses jumping 30 fences over two laps. It is the most valuable jump race in Europe, with a prize fund of £1 million in 2017. An event that is prominent in British culture, the race is popular amongst many people who do not normally watch or bet on horse racing at other times of the year. The course over which the race is run features much larger fences than those"
"Wolverhampton Racecourse Wolverhampton Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. The track was the first to be floodlit in Britain and often holds meetings in the evening. The course has a Tapeta surface, and is one mile (1,609 m) in circumference, with left-hand turns — giving it greater commonality with most racetracks found in the United States than with other venues in the UK. There has been a racecourse in Wolverhampton since 1825, in what is now the West Park, where the Park Road follows the line of the track. This was sold to"
"Welsh Champion Hurdle The Welsh Champion Hurdle is a National Hunt Limited handicap hurdle race in Wales which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ffos Las over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres) and it is scheduled to take place each year in October. The race was first run in 1969 at Chepstow over 2 miles and continued there until 2002, holding Listed status during the 1980s. The race was usually run on Easter Monday and prior to the 1990s was usually contested by horses that had performed well in the"
"fifth largest in the whole of Wales, and the seventh largest in Super League. It was first built in 1807 and first played host to Wrexham's ""Town Purse"" horse race. Crowd trouble stopped the horse racing and in 1872 it became home to Wrexham Football Club with the club now owning the ground. The Wales national rugby league team have played there once against Italy. The ground has four stands: The Mold Road Stand, The Eric Roberts Stand, The Kop and The Yale. Crusaders have played a total of 12 games at The Racecourse. A total of 18 players have"
"of the race. This was the last year that Wilson commentated for the BBC thus bringing an end to the longest unbroken commentary team line-up in the televised history of the race. 1992 Grand National The 1992 Grand National (known as the Martell Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 146th renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 4 April 1992. It was won in a time of nine minutes and 6.4 seconds, and by a distance of two-and-a-half lengths by 14/1 shot Party Politics, ridden by Welsh jockey"
"Welsh Greyhound Derby The Welsh Greyhound Derby was a former classic greyhound competition held in Wales. It was held at the White City Stadium in Cardiff from 1928 to 1937. After the closure of this stadium the race switched to the Cardiff Arms Park from 1945 until 1977. It gained classic status in 1971. When the Cardiff Arms Park closed to greyhound racing there was no remaining fully licensed National Greyhound Racing Club track in Wales resulting in the race discontinuing. During the vast majority of its existence the race formed part of the triple crown of racing alongside the"
"by the British track cycling team for its pre-event holding camps ahead of the 2008, 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics. It was announced in August 2018 that the velodrome would be renamed after the UK's third and Wales' first-ever Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas. Wales National Velodrome The Geraint Thomas National Velodrome, previously known as the Wales National Velodrome, in Newport, South Wales, is an indoor arena located in the Newport International Sports Village, Lliswerry. The Velodrome's facilities including a covered 250-metre Siberian pine track, a function room/dance studio, free weights room, fitness suite, a drug-testing room"
"had an underlying back condition. Grand National (roller coaster) The Grand National is a wooden roller coaster located at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, Lancashire in the United Kingdom. It was designed and constructed by Charles Paige in 1935 and is now one of only three surviving wooden Möbius Loop roller coasters in the world and the only one in Eurasia. It is themed and named after the Grand National; with elements of the ride signposted to mimic features of the horse race. The trains climb the lift-hill and pass under the 'They're Off' sign and race through 'Becher's Brook',"
"1989 Grand National The 1989 Grand National (officially known as the Seagram Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 143rd renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 8 April 1989. The race was won in a time of 10 minutes 6.9 seconds and by a distance of 7 lengths by Irish 12-year-old Little Polveir, ridden by jockey Jimmy Frost. West Tip was second and The Thinker finished third. Fourteen of the 40 runners completed the course. The winner had been sold by a four-way partnership six weeks before the race"
"1985 Grand National The 1985 Grand National (known as the Seagram Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 139th renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 30 March 1985. The race was won by eleven-year-old, 50/1 outsider, Last Suspect, ridden by Hywel Davies in a time of 9 minutes 42.7 seconds for a prize of £54,314. The winner was owned by Anne, Duchess of Westminster and trained by Captain Tim Forster in Letcombe Bassett, Oxfordshire. Aintree chose this year to honour all of the surviving winning jockeys in National history."
"2018 Grand National The 2018 Grand National (officially, the Randox Health 2018 Grand National) was the 171st annual running of the Grand National horse race at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. The showpiece steeplechase was the pinnacle of a three-day festival which commenced on 12 April 2018. The event was sponsored by Randox Health for the second time. The race was won by shot Tiger Roll, ridden by Davy Russell, in a photo finish from Pleasant Company. All 38 runners returned to the stables, although Saint Are required veterinary attention on the course and Charlie Deutsch, riding Houblon Des Obeaux,"
"1931 Grand National The 1931 Grand National was the 90th renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 27 March 1931. The steeplechase was won by Grakle, at odds of 100/6. The nine-year-old was ridden by jockey Bob Lyall and trained by Tom Coulthwaite for owner Cecil Taylor, who collected the £9,310 prize. Gregalach, winner in 1929, finished in second place; Annandale was third and Rhyticere fourth. Forty-three horses ran and all but two returned safely to the stables. Swift Roland was fatally injured at Becher's Brook when another faller"
"the Australian Grand National on Bashboy. He was the leading jockey at the Festival in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Irish Jump Racing wins season by season GB Jump Racing wins season by season Like many jump jockeys, Walsh has suffered a number of serious injuries, the worst of which was a broken leg sustained in 1999 at Pardubice in the Czech Republic, a course he was visiting to compete in the famous Great Pardubice Steeplechase. He later broke the same leg while schooling a horse and was out of action for a"
"Prince of Wales and the Duke of York. In 1938 a Hollywood film titled Sergeant Murphy was loosely based on the winner. Ronald Reagan starred as the owner of the horse in the film. 1923 Grand National The 1923 Grand National was the 82nd renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool on 23 March 1923. The race was won by Sergeant Murphy, a 13-year-old 100/6 shot ridden by Captain Tuppy Bennet and trained by George Blackwell for its owner Stephen Sanford, who collected the £5,000 prize for the winner. The 1921 winner"
"track owner, Dai Walters. The distance was increased to a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs in 2013. The race was moved to a new date in mid-October in 2016 and reverted to 2 miles. Welsh Champion Hurdle The Welsh Champion Hurdle is a National Hunt Limited handicap hurdle race in Wales which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ffos Las over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres) and it is scheduled to take place each year in October. The race was first run in 1969 at Chepstow over 2"
"and the Grand National meeting. The Cheltenham Festival is held at Cheltenham Racecourse over four days in the second week of March. It features eleven grade one races, culminating in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the best and most prestigious Chase race in the world, on the Friday. The Grand National meeting is held at Aintree over three days every April. Many of the best horses come to these festivals, which are watched by a huge television audience worldwide. Hundreds of millions of pounds are gambled on these festivals. Other important festivals are: the Galway Races – a hugely popular mixed"
"of 1.1 million on the previous year, and attracted a 59% share of the television audience. 2016 Grand National The 2016 Grand National (officially known as the 2016 Crabbie's Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 169th annual running of the Grand National horse race at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. The showpiece steeplechase took place on 9 April 2016, the final day of a three-day meeting. A field of 39 runners competed for a share of a prize fund of £1 million. The 2016 National was won by shot Rule The World, ridden by David Mullins and trained by"